Selective feeder for wild birds



OCI. 16, 1951 M, S, MAKER 2,571,275

SELECTIVE FEEDER FOR WILD BIRDS Filed Feb. 25, 1949 Patented Oct. 16, 1951 ogirso. s'rATss PATENT- olillC-l;

,sRLEcf-rlve FEEDER FOR WILD BIRDS Mabel S. Meaier, Euclid Ohio Animation February 25', 1949, seria1No,7s,410

Claims.

This invention relatesto feeders for wild birds with the feeding of birds with feeders such as l heretofore commonly used dueto the fact that English sparrows congregating in large numbers take most if not all of the food, driving away the more desirable native birds.-

It is an object of the present invention to provide a feeder which provides an insecure support for the birds while feeding so that only the most agile and intrepid birds are able to use it, thereby excluding the more awlward and more timid birds such as English sparrows. English spar-Y rows are clumsy, wary and easily alarmed, whereas certain small native birds such as black capped chickadees and the tufted titmouse are acrobatic and adventurous and accustomed to perch in precarious positions while feeding in their natto furnish delightful entertainment while feedy ing.

Reference should be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification in which:

Figure l is a front elevation of a feeder embodying the invention, showing in dotted lines a position to which the feeder may be moved by the weight of a bird alighting thereon;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section centrally through the feeder; and

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary section showing a modified form of food receptacle.V

The feeder of the present invention comprises a food receptacle such as the food receptacle I shown in Figs. 1 and 2 that is adapted .to `contain a suitable quantity of ,food for birds and' that is provided with a rim portion 2 uponwhich a bird may perch while feeding. In accordance with the present invention the receptacle I is so mounted that it will be moved bodily from the position in which it is normally poised by the Weight .0f a hir@ eighties I OR thor-i111 2- Various forms of rocking supports may be propreferred.

AS Shown. in .Figo 1 and ,2, the receptacle l is supported upon a rolyfpoly iigure which has 'o hollow body 3, with a bose @which io's'moofl and of spherical contourf A hollow head'E'in'ay be Secured .by suitable moons t0. the D ei the body 3, and the ceptacle I maybe secured 'to the top of the head 5. As is common practice, the rolyrpoly figure has. its Weight S SPQS that its center of gravity is adjacent the base 4 and the receptacle l so positioned on the head 5 that the feeder comprising the rolyrpgly figure and attached. receptacle is normally 110151251 in static equilibrium a position such that the Weight 0f .o bird notched on the .reeptal will rock the feeder. The rirnV portion of thereeptacle upon which the weight of the bird is iinposed must be laterally offset with respect to the vertical line through the center of gravity of the feeder, and with an open top receptacle suchl as shown in Figs. l and 2, the said vertical line is within the rim 2 of the receptacle: order to bring the ,center of gravity into the base portion vof the rolyzpoly a weight .6 pe, Nlilly mounted Within the base portion of thy hollow body 3 and is secured inplae by .Suitable means such as a rivet l.

Since the center .of gravity .0f 011.6 .eeollli'ls close to the base g upon which it is relably Supported, and Singe the rim .2 1.110.011 which a bird may perch is laterally offset with respect to the verticalline through the ,center of grayity but little force is required .to move the ldl" from its poise-d position, .and the Weight Qi@ small bird imposed upon the rirn portion of the receptacle I will be sufjdcient to ,canse the feeder kto rapidly swing to a p ostigll `such as. .5??9?? infdotted lines in Eig. i. This movement of the feeder frightens the more timid birds suchas English sparrows, but doesk not preventmore adventurous-birds such as the chcladees from Autilizing .the feeder. Y Y

VThe feeder may be .placed 1111.191; any lei/'el foce uponwhioh itwill rook freely. but. ,it .lieually preferable 'to mountthe feeder in aretanier which has a shape similar to a saucer, the retainer having a vsubstantially flat -and mQph bottom `9 .upon which the base 4 of the feeder may roll and slide, and a retaining rim L0 that is provided with .an inner 4edge-portion I I .against which the base portion 4 of the feeder engages when .the feeder is rolled .in any direction fromits `upright position. An inner wall ,I2 of .the rim yIk!! is preferably formed on ya radius ,of curyature less than that ofthe baseA 4 So'that the base 4 has point contact with the edge I I of the rim so that after the feeder has been tilted by the weight of a bird perched on the rim 2, the base 4 may roll and slide upon the edge II, making it necessary for the bird to cling to the receptacle rim and rock with the receptacle while feeding. The feeder will have a lively, bobbing movement when subjected to Wind and while supporting the weight of a bird engaged in feeding from the receptacle, and the antics of the birds in attempting to gain a footing on the precarious perch provided by the feeder and in retaining their foothold while feeding, provides a very novel and interesting spectacle.

The retaining saucer 8, which may be made of any suitable material such as wood or plastic. may be secured to a window ledge, fence rail or supporting post by suitable -means such as a screw I3, and drain openings I4 may be provided in the bottom of the saucer.

The receptacle I shown in Figs. land 2 is adapted to receive a food preparation in the form of a paste which will not beV displaced by the rocking movements of the feeder. In Fig. 3 there is shown a modified form of receptacle which is adapted to retain loose feed such as seeds. Fig. 3, the body I5 of the roly-poly has a receptacle I6 attached thereto which may also form `the head of the roly-poly. The receptacle I6 has a rim I'I upon which the birds may perch around an opening in the top below which there is anv I inwardly curved portion I8 which serves to retain the loose material in the receptacle when the receptacle is tilted. 'Ihe receptacle I6 may be provided with one or more drain openings I9 adjacent the vbody thereof so that the receptacle will not fill with Water during a rain.

The feeder may be formed of any suitable weather-resistant material, preferably a durable 'non-frangible plastic composition.

In both modifications the feeder is normally vpoised with the rim of the receptacle offset laterally with respect to a vertical line through the center of gravity, and the weight of the feeder is so disposed that the center of gravity is but slightly raised upon rocking movements, the feeder being thus delicately poised so that it will .readily rock through a considerable angle and will be held against the edge II of the retaining saucer by the weight of the bird perched on the rim of the receptacle. Furthermore, by reason of the point contact with the edge I I of the rim, the feeder will have rocking movements when in its inclined position due to shifting of the weight of a bird as it pecks at the food in the receptacle, so that the feeder can be used only by the more acrobatic and adventurous birds who are able to cling tenaciously to the rim of the receptacle while feeding.

It is to be understood that in accordance with the provisions of the patentstatutes, variations and modifications of the specic devices herein Vshown and described may be made without de- Iparting from the spirit of the invention.

`perch laterally offset with respect to said vertical line, whereby the feeder is adapted to be rocked from its poised position by the weight of a small wild bird alighting on the rim of said receptacle.

2. A selective feeder for small wild birds comprising a supporting member having a rounded bottom upon which it freely rocks and a food receptacle mounted on and movable with said member, said feeder having its center of gravity disposed closely adjacent said bottom to normally delicately poise said feeder in a substantially predetermined position with respect to a vertical line through its center of gravity and said receptacle having a rim portion forming a bird perch laterally offset with respect to said vertical line, whereby the feeder is adapted to be rocked from its poised position by the weight of a bird alighting on the rim of said receptacle.

3. A selective feeder for small wild birds comprising a roly-poly having a top portion shaped to provide a food receptacle with a rim portion upon which a bird may perch and also having a rounded base portion that is weighted to bring the center of gravity close to said base and delicately poise the feeder in a position in which a vertical line through its center of gravity is laterally offset with respect to said rim portion, whereby the feeder is adapted to be rocked by the weight of a small wild bird alighting on said rim portion.

4. A selective feeder for small wild birds comprising a roly-poly having a hollow body portion with a base of spherical contour and also having a top portion formed tc provide a food receptacle with a rim portion upon which a bird may perch, and a weight within said hollow body adjacent the base to bring the center of gravity close to said base and delicately poise said feeder in a position in which a vertical line through the center of gravity of the feeder is laterally offset with respect to said rim portion, whereby the feeder is adapted to be. rocked by the weight of a. small wild bird alighting on said rim portion.

5. A selective feeder for small wild birds comprising a roly-poly having a top portion shaped to provide a food receptacle with a rim portion upon which a bird may perch and also having a rounded base portion that is weighted to bring the center of gravity close to said base and thereby delicately poise the feeder in a position in which a vertical line through its center of gravity is laterally offset with respect to said rim portion, and a retainer for said roly-poly in the form of a saucer provided with a substantially at bottom upon which said roly-poly may rock and a marginal retaining rim with which said rounded bottom may have rolling engagement.

MABEL S. MEAKER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS the 

